text: Many radioactive sources are sealed, meaning they are permanently either completely contained in a capsule or firmly bonded solid to a surface. Capsules are usually made of stainless steel, titanium, platinum or another inert metal. The use of sealed sources removes almost all risk of dispersion of radioactive material into the environment due to mishandling, but the container is not intended to attenuate radiation, so further shielding is required for radiation protection. Sealed sources are used in almost all applications where the source does not need to be chemically or physically included in a liquid or gas.